Civil Uprisings: Peasant Resistance Against British Rule Before 1857

Introduction

Before the uprising of 1857, also known as the Indian Rebellion or the First War of Independence, there were numerous instances of people’s resistance against British colonial rule in India. These acts of resistance were rooted in various grievances stemming from economic exploitation, cultural suppression, and political domination imposed by the British. These pre-1857 resistance movements laid the groundwork for the larger rebellion that erupted in 1857, highlighting the deep-seated discontent and the desire for autonomy among diverse segments of Indian society.

Civil Uprisings

• Major Causes
• • Changes in economy, administration and land revenue system.
  • Erstwhile Zamindars and Poligars were angered due to the loss of their lands and wanted to take revenge from government officials, money lenders etc.
  • The disappearance of traditional patrons like princes, zamindars and colonial industrial policies led to the ruin of artisans and handicrafts. 
  • Priests, pandits and maulvis lost their traditional patrons.
  • British rulers were always seen as alien to the land. They treated common people with disdain.

Sanyasi Revolt (1763-1800) [Bihar & Bengal]

• It was a revolt by the Sannyasis and Sadhus in Bengal. 
• Support: They were joined by a large number of dispossessed small zamindars, disbanded soldiers, and rural poor. 
• Fakir Rebellion: It was characterised by equal participation of Hindus and Muslims. It is also known as the Fakir Rebellion.
  • They raided Company factories and the treasuries and fought the Company’s forces. 
• Causes:  The 1770 Bengal famine and harsh British economic policies.
• Leaders: Majnum Shah, Chirag Ali, Musa Shah, Bhawani Pathak, Debi Chaudharani.
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote the books  Anandamath(1882) and Devi  Chaudharani(1884) based on the Sanyasi Revolt.
• Warren Hastings played an important role in suppressing this movement.

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Revolt of Moamarias (1769-99) [Assam]

• Challenging Ahom Rule: Moamarias were low-caste peasants who followed the teachings of Aniruddhadeva, rose up against the Ahom Kings of Assam and weakened their hold on power. 
  • The Moamarias made Bhatiapar their headquarters.
• Darrang Rebellion of 1792: The King of Darrang (Krishnanarayan), assisted by his band of Burkandazes (the demobilised soldiers of the Muslim armies and zamindars), revolted against the weak Ahom kingdom.
• Ahom Kings’ Downfall: Ahom Kings had to request help from the British to fight the rebellion but fell to the Burmese invasion and finally came under British rule.

Poligars’s Revolt (1795–1805) [Tamil Nadu]

• The Poligars revolted when the Nawab of Arcot gave the management and control of Tinneveli and the Carnatic Provinces to the East India Company. 
• This led to resentment among the poligars who had, for long, considered themselves independent sovereign authorities within their respective territories.
• The poligars of North Arcot rose in rebellion when they were deprived of their right to collect the kaval fees. (Kaval or ‘watch’ was a hereditary village police office in Tamil Nadu).
• The movement occurred in two Phases:
  • First Phase: It was led by Kattaboman Nayakan.
  • Second Phase: It was more violent and was led by Oomanthurai.

Paika Rebellion (1817) [Odisha]

• The Role of Paikas: Paikas were the hereditary traditional landed militia (foot soldiers) of Odisha who rendered martial services and policing functions in return for rent-free land (Nishkar Jagirs). 
• It was also known as the Khurda Rebellion (the dethronement of the Raja of Khurda had greatly reduced the power and prestige of the Paiks).
• Causes
• • Walter Ewer Commission: Recommended that the rent-free lands of Paikas be taken over by the British. This led to Paikas taking up arms in support of zamindars and peasants.
  • Rise in the price of salt, abolition of Cowrie currency, payment of taxes in silver and extortionist land revenue policies.
• Leaders: Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, Mukunda Deva, and Dinabandhu Santra.
• Used Guerrilla Warfare to fight the British.
• The rebellion was brutally repressed by 1818. Priests at the Puri temple who had sheltered Jagabandhu were caught and hanged.
• The Paika Rebellion succeeded in getting large remissions of arrears, reductions in assessments, a new settlement on fixed tenure etc.

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Ahom Revolt (1828)[Assam]

• Resistance against British Annexation: The British did not withdraw from Assam after the First Burma War (1824-26), and tried to incorporate Ahom territories, causing resentment among people, which led to a rebellion.
• British Conciliatory Policy: The Britishers followed a conciliatory policy, and upper Assam was handed over to Maharaja  Purandar Singh (Ahom King).
• Leaders: Gomdhar Konwar (Ahom Prince), Maharaja Purandhar Singh, Narendra Gadadhar Singh, among others.

Wahabi Movement (1830–61) [Bihar, Bengal, North West Frontier Province, Punjab]

• Revivalist Movement: It was an Islamist revivalist movement that advocated complete adherence to Sharia.
  • This movement was led by Syed Ahmed of Rai Bareilly, who was inspired by the teachings of Abdul Wahab (Saudi Arabia) and Shah Walilullah (Delhi). 
  • Titu Mir led the movement in the Bengal region.
• Call for a Return to Pure Islam: Syed Ahmed condemned the Western influence on Islam and advocated a return to pure Islam and society.
• Centers of Influence: Sithana (north-western tribal belt) was chosen as a base for operations. 
  • Patna was an important centre, with missions across Hyderabad, Madras, Bengal, the United Provinces, and Bombay.
• Jihad: A jihad was declared against the Sikh kingdom of Punjab. 
  • Following its annexation by the East India Company in 1849, the Wahabis directed their attacks solely against the English rule in India.

Kuka Movement (1840–72) [Punjab] 

• Combating Caste Discrimination: The Kuka Movement was founded in 1840 by Bhagat JawaharMal (also called Sian Saheb) in western Punjab as a Socio-religious movement working against caste discrimination, promoting intermarriages, widow remarriages etc. 
• Transformation of Movement: After the British took Punjab, the movement transformed from a religious purification campaign to a political campaign.
  • Kukas wanted to remove the British and restore Sikh rule over Punjab. 
  • They advocated the boycott of English laws, education and products.
  • So, the concepts of Swadeshi and non-cooperation were propagated by the Kukas much earlier.
• Suppression Movement: The British crushed the movement between 1863 and 1872. Baba Ram Singh, founder of the Namdhari Sect and a major leader of the movement, was deported to Rangoon in 1872.

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Other Civil Uprisings

Revolt In Midnapore and Dhalbhum (1766-74) [Bengal] 

• Leaders: Damodar Singh and Jagannath Dhal.
• New Land Revenue system of 1772: led to the Zamindars siding with ryots, and against English officials 

Civil Uprisings In Gorakhpur, Basti And Bahraich (1781) [Uttar Pradesh]

• English Officers as Revenue Farmers: Warren Hastings employed English officers as Izaradars (revenue farmers) in Awadh to raise money for wars against the Marathas and Mysore.
• Alexander Hannay’s (a British officer appointed to collect the Izaras) excessive demands of revenue from zamindars and cultivators led to the uprising. 
• Hannay’s subordinates were either killed or besieged by Zamindar’s guerilla forces. Although the rebellion was suppressed, Hannay was dismissed and his Izara forcibly removed.

Revolt of Raja of Vizianagaram (1794) [Andhra Pradesh]

• Treaty to Expel the French: In 1758, a treaty was made between the British and Ananda Gajapatiraju (raja of Vizianagaram) to jointly oust the French from the Northern Circars.
• Betrayal and Rebellion: The British went back on the treaty of 1758 and asked Raja Chinna Vizayaramaraju (successor of  Ananda Gajapatiraju) to pay tribute and disband his army. Raja, supported by his subject, rose to rebellion. 
• Vizianagaram’s Incorporation: He was captured in 1793 and died in battle at Padmanabham (in modern Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh) in 1794. 
  • Vizianagaram eventually came under company rule.

Revolt of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (1797-1805) [Kerala]

• The Lion of Kerala: Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, also known as the “Kerala Simham” or ‘Pyche raja, was the de facto head of Kottayam in the Malabar region.
  • He actively resisted the forces of Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, and the British between 1793 and 1805. 
• Third Anglo-Mysore War: It resulted in British control over Kottayam. 
  • The British appointed Vira Varma as the Raja, who imposed exorbitant taxes, leading to mass peasant resistance, led by Pyche Raja in 1793.
• Despite a peace treaty in 1797, a conflict over Wayanad in 1800 reignited hostilities, prompting Pazhassi Raja to organize a diverse force, including Nairs, Mappilas and Pathans.
• In November 1805, he died in a gunfight.

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Revolt of Diwan Velu Thampi (1808–09) [Travancore]

• Resentment in Travancore: Harsh conditions in Travancore following a subsidiary alliance agreement (1805) with Wellesley led to resentment in the region. 
• The high-handed attitude of the Company led Prime Minister Velu Thampi to rebel against them, with support from Nair troops. 
  • He openly called for armed resistance against the British in the Kundara Proclamation, sparking widespread rebellion.
• Suppression of Rebellion: A large-scale military operation was necessary to restore peace as the Maharaja of Travancore defected to the Company’s side. 
  • Velu Thampi, facing capture, chose to end his own life. The rebellion eventually dwindled out.

Important Peasant Movements

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Conclusion 

• Resentment against the British was fueled by grievances stemming from economic exploitation, cultural oppression, and political domination. 
• Indigenous leaders, local communities, and religious figures played important roles in these movements, challenging British authority and advocating for autonomy. 
• While these early resistance movements did not lead to widespread rebellion on the scale of 1857, they laid the groundwork for future anti-colonial struggles and underscored the deep-seated discontent among diverse segments of Indian society

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